Retracting tool for robotic surgery

ABSTRACT

The invention involves a system and method for quickly retracting a tool from a surgical site. The system is generally constructed and arranged for attachment to a robotic arm for manipulation of the tool to perform an in-vivo surgery. The tool is constructed to retract from the surgical site upon a predetermined condition. The system and the robot can be reset when the condition has cleared so that the surgery can continue.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

In accordance with 37 C.F.R 1.76, a claim of priority is included in anApplication Data Sheet filed concurrently herewith. Accordingly, under35 U.S.C. § 119(e), 120, 121, and/or 365(c), the present inventionclaims priority of U.S. Patent Application No. 62/850,323, entitled“RETRACTING TOOL FOR ROBOTIC SURGERY”, filed on May 20, 2019. Thecontents of the above referenced application are herein incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to robotic surgery and, moreparticularly, to a tool constructed to retract from the surgical siteupon a predetermined condition.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Robotic surgery, computer-assisted surgery, and robotically-assistedsurgery are terms for technological developments that use roboticsystems to aid in surgical procedures. Robotically-assisted surgery wasdeveloped to overcome the limitations of pre-existing minimally-invasivesurgical procedures and to enhance the capabilities of surgeonsperforming open surgery.

In the case of robotically-assisted minimally-invasive surgery, insteadof directly moving the instruments, the surgeon uses one of two methodsto control the instruments; either a direct telemanipulator or throughcomputer control. A telemanipulator is a remote manipulator that allowsthe surgeon to perform the normal movements associated with the surgerywhile the robotic arms carry out those movements using end-effectors andmanipulators to perform the actual surgery on the patient. Incomputer-controlled systems, the surgeon uses a computer to control therobotic arms and its end-effectors, though these systems can also stilluse telemanipulators for their input. One advantage of using thecomputerized method is that the surgeon does not have to be present, butcan be anywhere in the world, leading to the possibility for remotesurgery. One drawback of these systems relates to interference in thesensors that monitor the location of the robotic components, includingthe tools being used by the robot to complete the surgery. Surgicaltools, and even robotic components, are often constructed from materialsthat are not radio translucent, and thus they cause interference withthe sensors used to guide the robot to its desired precise location. Theinterference may cause the robot to not be located where it should be,and may cause problems with the surgery.

In the case of enhanced open surgery, autonomous instruments (infamiliar configurations) replace traditional surgical tools, performingcertain actions (such as rib spreading) with much smoother,feedback-controlled motions than could be achieved by a human hand. Themain object of such smart instruments is to reduce or eliminate thetissue trauma traditionally associated with open surgery. This approachseeks to improve open surgeries, particularly orthopedic, that have sofar not benefited from robotic techniques by providing a tool that canprovide a quick retraction of the tool from the surgical site should aneed arise for something, such as a patient cough or patient movement,power outages, or other threatening circumstances.

One major drawback to utilizing robots for surgical procedures is theirvulnerability to movement by the patient. These movements can lead toincorrect position and orientation reporting.

Another drawback relates to power outages or electrical interferencethat causes the robot positional confusion or loss.

There exists, therefore, a need for a robotic system that is capable ofreducing or eliminating problems occurring from patient movements toprovide safer robotic surgery.

Thus, the present invention provides a system and method for providing afast tool retraction for robotic or robotic assisted surgeries. Thesystem is constructed to quickly retract the surgical tool from thesurgical site. The tool retractor system and the robot can be reset tocomplete the surgery once the error has been corrected.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Briefly, the invention involves a system and method for increasingpositional accuracy and safety of surgical systems that utilize a robotfor performance of surgery. The system allows cutting tools to bequickly retracted from the surgical site upon detection of patientmovement or some other issue that could result in positional inaccuracyfor the robot. The system can be reset once the error has been cleared,and the position with respect to the patient re-established.

Accordingly, it is an objective of the present invention to provide amethod and system for retracting cutting tools from a surgical site in arapid manner.

Other objectives and advantages of this invention will become apparentfrom the following description taken in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration andexample, certain embodiments of this invention. The drawings constitutea part of this specification, include exemplary embodiments of thepresent invention, and illustrate various objects and features thereof.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a top front perspective view of one embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a partial top perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG.1, illustrating one embodiment of the retraction mechanism;

FIG. 3 is a partial bottom perspective view of the embodiment shown inFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2,illustrating the tool in a retracted position;

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 2,illustrating the internal components of one embodiment of the presentdevice and system;

FIG. 6 is a partial perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5,illustrating the internal components in a retracted position;

FIG. 7 is a partial perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5,illustrating further retraction of the tool;

FIG. 8 is a partial perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5,illustrating removal of the tool;

FIG. 9A is a partial side view illustrating replacement of the cuttingtool;

FIG. 9B is a partial side view illustrating replacement of the cuttingtool;

FIG. 10 is a partial perspective view illustrating removal andreplacement of the cutting tool;

FIG. 11 is a partial perspective view illustrating an alternativeembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 12 is a partial perspective view illustrating a quick tool changeconnector for use with a robot equipped with automatic tool changefeatures;

FIG. 13 is a partial perspective view of the embodiment illustrated inFIG. 12;

FIG. 14 is a front perspective view of one embodiment illustrated withshields in position;

FIG. 15 is a front perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 14illustrated with shields removed;

FIG. 16 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 14;

FIG. 17 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 14illustrated in the retracted position;

FIG. 18 is a bottom perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 14illustrated removing the cutting tool;

FIG. 19 is a perspective view illustrating the cutting tool;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view illustrating separation of the cuttingtool from a portion of the retraction mechanism;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of the cutting tool, in this embodiment arotary burr.

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of the retraction assembly in cooperationwith a multi-axes automotive style robot preforming an in-vivo surgery;

FIG. 23 is a partial perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG.22, illustrating the cutting tool working on a spine;

FIG. 24 is a partial perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG.22, illustrating the cutting tool working on a spine; and

FIG. 25 is a partial perspective view of the embodiment shown in FIG.22, illustrating the cutting tool in a retracted position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in variousforms, there is shown in the drawings and will hereinafter be describeda presently preferred embodiment with the understanding that the presentdisclosure is to be considered an exemplification of the invention andis not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodimentsillustrated.

Referring generally to FIGS. 1-25, a system and method for quicklyretracting a tool from a surgical site is illustrated. The retractionsystem 100 is generally constructed and arranged for attachment to arobotic arm 10 for manipulation of the surgical tool 12 to perform anin-vivo surgery. The retraction system 100 is constructed to retract atleast a portion of the surgical tool 12 from the surgical site upon apredetermined condition. The retraction system 100 and the robot arm 10can be reset when the condition has cleared so that the surgery cancontinue. The robotic arm 10 includes at least one axis of movement, andthe most preferred embodiment includes six or seven axes of movement formanipulation of the surgical tool. The robotic arm 10 includes anattachment point 14 for securing a tool 12 to the robot for roboticallycontrolled movement of the tool for completion of at least a portion ofa surgical procedure. In a preferred embodiment, the surgical toolincludes a retraction mechanism 18 for causing said surgical tool 12 toretract from a first operational position (FIG. 3) to a secondnon-operational position (FIG. 4) independent of the roboticallycontrolled movement of the tool upon detection of a predeterminedcondition. Such predetermined conditions may include, but should not belimited to, movement of the patient as monitored by a camera orelectromagnetic system, patient cough, patient, power fluctuation oroutage, etc.

Still referring to FIGS. 1-25, the retraction mechanism 18 preferablyincludes a track portion 20 and a shuttle portion 22. A functionalportion of the surgical tool 12 is secured to the shuttle portion 22 tomove therewith upon detection of one of the predetermined conditions sothat movement of the shuttle portion 22 disables movement of thefunctional portion of said tool. For example, if the tool is a rotarytool, such as a grinder or drill, rotation of the grinder or drill wouldbe disabled. In the case of a tool, such as a Jamshidi needle, theneedle would be sufficiently retracted to remove the needle from thesurgical site. Likewise, other surgical tools would either be disabledfrom movement used to modify tissue and/or be retracted from thesurgical site, thereby preventing the tool from causing damage to tissuesurrounding the surgical site, i.e. disabling the functional portion ofthe surgical tool. In a most preferred embodiment, disablement wouldinclude, but would not be limited to, removal of motive power to thefunctional portion of the surgical tool.

Still referring to FIGS. 1-25, in at least one embodiment, movement ofthe shuttle 22 is provided by a second source of motive power, which maybe pneumatic and in the form of vacuum or pressure without departingfrom the scope of the invention. The pneumatic motive power may befluidly connected to an air cylinder 24 having a moveable piston 26therein. The pneumatic motive power is supplied to a first side 30 ofsaid piston 26 to position said surgical tool 12 in the operationalposition, and whereby supplying the pneumatic motive power to the secondside 32 of the piston 26 causes the surgical tool 12 to retract to thenon-operational position. It should be noted that the aforementionedorientation of pneumatic motive power is assuming pressurized fluid;those skilled in the art will readily recognize that should vacuum bethe pneumatic motive power that the side of the piston to which thepneumatic power is provided to cause the desired movement will bereversed. In a preferred embodiment, the first side 30 of the piston 26includes a rod member 28 secured thereto. The rod member 28 extendsthrough an end portion of the air cylinder and moves with the piston 26.The rod 28 is connected to the shuttle 22 so that the shuttle 22 moveswith the piston 26. In at least one embodiment, the shuttle 22 isremovably secured to the rod 28, whereby the surgical tool or theoperative portion of the surgical tool 12 is removable and replaceablewith respect to the shuttle 22. To facilitate the removal andreplacement of the surgical tool, a hand operated spring pin 34 may beutilized. Fasteners or the like may be substituted for the spring pinwithout departing from the scope of the invention. It should be notedthat while the cylinder is illustrated as including the rod member 28,magnetic coupling of the piston 26 to the shuttle 22 may be utilizedwithout departing from the scope of the invention. Such construction ofpneumatic cylinders is commonly referred to as linear motors in theindustrial arts. It should also be noted that, in the preferredembodiment, the cylinder is constructed and arranged to move thesurgical tool 12 about one and one half inches or about 38 millimeters,and the movement occurs in a fraction of a second.

Still referring to FIGS. 1-25, the track portion 20 includes a plate 36,the plate 36 having a first side surface 38 and a second side surface40. The first side surface 38 is secured to the robot attachment point14, while the second side surface 40 includes the track portion 20. Inone embodiment, the track portion 20 includes at least two guide members42 for guiding the shuttle 22 during movement thereof between theoperational position and the non-operational position. Some embodimentsare provided with a male dove tail 68 (FIG. 8) which slidably cooperateswith a conjugately shaped female dove tail 70. (FIG. 19). The dove tailsinterlock to prevent side to side and up and down movements whileallowing guided sliding movement. The cooperating dove tails 68, 70 alsoallow the surgical tool to be accurately positioned and repositionedafter the tool has been retracted. The shuttle 22 preferably includes atleast one first set of electrical contacts 44, while the track portionincludes at least one second set of electrical contacts 46. The firstset of electrical contacts 44 and the second set of electrical contacts46 are positioned to contact each other when the shuttle 22 ispositioned in the operational position, and thus provide electrical flowto said surgical tool for operation thereof. In this manner, the firstset of electrical contacts 44 and the second set of electrical contactsare separated during movement of the shuttle to the non-operationalposition, thereby disabling electrical motive movement of the surgicaltool 12. In at least one embodiment, the surgical tool may be a rotarydrill or grinder 48. Thus, all or portions of the drill/grinder aresubject to wear and may need to be replaced periodically. Therefore, thedrill/grinder 48 may be removably secured to the shuttle 22 and areusable portion of the shuttle may be tethered to the plate 36 with aflexible member 50 such as a cable. A retractor mechanism 52 may beprovided to allow the shuttle to be moved further away from the plate.Upon replacement of any necessary parts, the shuttle 22 may simply besnapped back together and the spring pin utilized to connect the shuttle22 to the cylinder rod 28.

Still referring to FIGS. 1-25, the first side surface of the plate 36includes a tool change structure 56 for interlocking cooperation with atool change mechanism 54. The tool change mechanism 54 is secured to therobot arm 10 to provide for tool interchangeability to the robot.Therefore, each surgical tool 12 is preferably a self-contained systemconnectable to the tool change mechanism 54, which provides the firstmotive power and the second motive power to the tool retraction system100 through the tool change structure 56. In the preferred embodiment,the tool change structure 56 includes a pilot aperture 58 for providingpositional location of said tool with respect to robot arm 10. Aplurality of rod members 60 are secured about a periphery of the pilotaperture 58 for providing orientation of the surgical tool 12 withrespect to the robot arm 10. Positioned between the rod members 60 is atleast one primary electrical contact 62 for supplying electrical motivepower to the surgical tool 12 for operation thereof. Also provided aspart of the tool change structure 56 and mechanism 54 is at least oneprimary pneumatic connection 64 for supplying pneumatic motive power tothe cylinder for operation thereof.

Referring to FIG. 11, an alternative embodiment of the present deviceand system is illustrated. In this embodiment, springs 66 are utilizedto position the surgical tool 12 in the operational position, while anair cylinder 24 is utilized to move the shuttle 22 to thenon-operational position. Removal of the pneumatic motive force allowsthe surgical tool to automatically reposition itself to the operationalposition. It should also be noted that this construction allowselectrical solenoids and the like to be utilized in place of the aircylinder without departing from the scope of the invention.

It is to be understood that while a certain form of the invention isillustrated, it is not to be limited to the specific form or arrangementherein described and shown. It will be apparent to those skilled in theart that various changes may be made without departing from the scope ofthe invention, and the invention is not to be considered limited to whatis shown and described in the specification and any drawings/figuresincluded herein.

One skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the presentinvention is well adapted to carry out the objectives and obtain theends and advantages mentioned, as well as those inherent therein. Theembodiments, methods, procedures and techniques described herein arepresently representative of the preferred embodiments, are intended tobe exemplary, and are not intended as limitations on the scope. Changestherein and other uses will occur to those skilled in the art which areencompassed within the spirit of the invention and are defined by thescope of the appended claims. Although the invention has been describedin connection with specific preferred embodiments, it should beunderstood that the invention as claimed should not be unduly limited tosuch specific embodiments. Indeed, various modifications of thedescribed modes for carrying out the invention, which are obvious tothose skilled in the art, are intended to be within the scope of thefollowing claims.

1. A system for retracting a surgical tool from a surgical sitecomprising: a robot having at least one axis of movement, said robothaving an attachment point for securing a surgical tool to said robotfor robotically controlled movement of said surgical tool for completionof at least a portion of a surgical procedure; said surgical toolincluding a retraction mechanism for causing said surgical tool toretract from a first operational position to a second non-operationalposition independent of said robotically controlled movement upondetection of a predetermined condition.
 2. The system for retracting asurgical tool from a surgical site of claim 1, wherein said retractionmechanism includes a track portion and a shuttle portion, a functionalportion of said surgical tool secured to said shuttle portion to movetherewith upon detection of said predetermined condition.
 3. The systemfor retracting a surgical tool from a surgical site of claim 2, whereinmovement of said shuttle disables robotically controlled movement ofsaid functional portion of said surgical tool.
 4. The system forretracting a surgical tool from a surgical site of claim 3, whereinmotive power is disabled to said functional portion of said surgicaltool.
 5. The system for retracting a surgical tool from a surgical siteof claim 4, wherein movement of said shuttle is provided by a secondsource of motive power.
 6. The system for retracting a surgical toolfrom a surgical site of claim 5, wherein said second source of motivepower is pneumatic.
 7. The system for retracting a surgical tool from asurgical site of claim 2, wherein said track portion is secured to saidattachment point of said robot to be moveable therewith.
 8. The systemfor retracting a surgical tool from a surgical site of claim 7, whereinsaid track portion includes a plate, said plate having a first sidesurface and a second side surface, said first side surface secured tosaid robot attachment point, said second side surface including saidtrack portion, said track portion including at least two guide membersfor guiding said shuttle during movement thereof to said non-operationalposition.
 9. The system for retracting a surgical tool from a surgicalsite of claim 8, wherein said shuttle includes at least one firstelectrical contact, said track portion including at least one secondelectrical contact, said at least one first electrical contact and saidat least one second electrical contact positioned to contact each otherwhen said shuttle is positioned in said operational position, and thusprovide electrical flow to said surgical tool for operation thereof. 10.The system for retracting a surgical tool from a surgical site of claim9, wherein said at least one first electrical contact and said at leastone second electrical contact are separated during movement of saidshuttle to said non-operational position, thereby disabling motivemovement of said surgical tool.
 11. The system for retracting a surgicaltool from a surgical site of claim 6, wherein said pneumatic motivepower is an air cylinder having a moveable piston therein, whereby saidpneumatic motive power is supplied to a first side of said piston toposition said surgical tool in said operational position, and wherebysupplying said pneumatic motive power to a second side of said pistoncauses said surgical tool to retract to said non-operational position.12. The system for retracting a surgical tool from a surgical site ofclaim 6, wherein said first side of said piston includes a rod membersecured thereto, said rod member extending outside of said air cylinder,said rod moving with said piston, said rod connected to said shuttle sothat said shuttle moves with said piston.
 13. The system for retractinga surgical tool from a surgical site of claim 11, wherein said shuttleis removably secured to said rod, whereby said surgical tool isremovable and replaceable with respect to said shuttle.
 14. The systemfor retracting a tool from a surgical site of claim 12, wherein saidshuttle is removably secured to said rod via a hand operated spring pin.15. The system for retracting a tool from a surgical site of claim 12,wherein said surgical tool is a rotary grinder.
 16. The system forretracting a surgical tool from a surgical site of claim 8, wherein saidfirst side surface of said plate includes a tool change structure forinterlocking cooperation with a tool change mechanism, said tool changemechanism secured to said robot arm to provide for toolinterchangeability to said robot, said surgical tool being aself-contained system connectable to said tool change mechanism toprovide said first motive power and said second motive power to saidsurgical tool retraction system.
 17. The system for retracting asurgical tool from a surgical site of claim 15, wherein said tool changemechanism includes at least one primary electrical contact for supplyingelectrical motive power to said tool change structure and thus saidsurgical tool for operation thereof.
 18. The system for retracting asurgical tool from a surgical site of claim 16, wherein said tool changemechanism includes at least one primary pneumatic connection forsupplying pneumatic motive power to said cylinder for operation thereof.19. The system for retracting a surgical tool from a surgical site ofclaim 15, wherein said tool change structure includes a pilot aperturefor providing positional location of said surgical tool with respect tosaid robot arm.
 20. The system for retracting a surgical tool from asurgical site of claim 18, wherein said tool change structure includes aplurality of rod members secured about said pilot aperture for providingorientation of said surgical tool with respect to said robot arm. 21.The system for retracting a surgical tool from a surgical site of claim12, wherein said shuttle is tethered to said plate with a flexiblemember.